Toxic metals and other elements in Svalbard reindeer: Establishing baselines and assessing non-invasive sampling for biomonitoring.

Pollutants emitted from all over the world may reach pristine areas, such as the Arctic. The Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) has been the subject of a few studies reporting toxic metal concentrations. However, these studies either date back a few decades or exclusively used non-invasive samples (e.

Gut microbiome biogeography in reindeer supersedes millennia of ecological and evolutionary separation.

Ruminants are dependent on their gut microbiomes for nutrient extraction from plant diets. However, knowledge about the composition, diversity, function, and spatial structure of gut microbiomes, especially in wild ruminants, is limited, largely because analysis has been restricted to faeces or the rumen. In two geographically separated reindeer subspecies, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed strong spatial structuring, and pronounced differences in microbial diversity of at least 33 phyla across the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine (including faeces).

Adaptation to the High-Arctic island environment despite long-term reduced genetic variation in Svalbard reindeer.

Typically much smaller in number than their mainland counterparts, island populations are ideal systems to investigate genetic threats to small populations. The Svalbard reindeer () is an endemic subspecies that colonized the Svalbard archipelago ca. 6,000-8,000 years ago and now shows numerous physiological and morphological adaptations to its arctic habitat.